(JollofNews) – Lawyer Mai Ahmad Fatty, an exiled opposition leader of the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) has said that his party will contest next year’s polls on two conditions.
According to Mr Fatty, GMC will only contest 2016 elections if President Jammeh will not present his candidacy and unless there is a comprehensive reform to the country’s electoral system.
The renowned Gambian lawyer cum politician made these remarks Tuesday at a press conference he organized at the Goethie Institute in Dakar, Senegal.
The press conference that brought together media practitioners from The Gambia and Senegal was centered on building strong relations between The Gambia and Senegal.
According to Lawyer Fatty, President Jammeh should not be allowed to have a fifth term mandate in office as he has served for 21 years, which is enough.
He said there are many issues confronting The Gambia and that it’s time for Gambians to decide either to go in for progress or retreat.
“We are at crossroads. The forces of evil and the forces of good are at a crossroads in The Gambia. What we have seen in the Gambia under Yahya Jammeh is a complete decadence of our economy, erosion of our rights, lack of free expression, violation of human rights, etc. So we have had enough of Yahya Jammeh and it is now time for him to go,” the GMC leader told the gathering.
He said if President Jammeh wants, he (Mai Fatty) can propose a peaceful exit strategy for him. He added that he can also engage the Gambian political elite and the international community for Jammeh’s exit, so that the Gambia can be at peace and development continues.
Commenting on the Gambia’s electoral code, the GMC leader said there is need for an electoral reform to safe the country in its political endeavours and conduct elections in a democratic manner.
He queried that the mandate of the IEC chairman has expired long time ago but he is still illegally occupying that post under President Jammeh’s command.
Fatty also blamed the IEC for being negligent in the execution of their duties. He revealed that since the IEC announced the slated date for the Presidential elections up till today, they have not officially written to any of the opposition parties in the Gambia to inform them of their decision on the country’s presidential election.
He finally thanked the European Union for their support to The Gambia’s development, saying the EU has sponsored many road projects under the EDF project.
